Printing Data Generating Method And Printing Data Generator

ABSTRACT

A management label has a color loss determination area that enables easy determination of color loss. An identification color printing area  11  where an inventory control color for managing products and a color loss determination area  15  for determining color loss are printed on the label side  10   a  of an inventory management label  10 . The color loss determination area  15  contains a color loss determination section  18  including the letters “NG” printed with a black coloring agent, and a background portion  19  that is printed using cyan, magenta, and yellow coloring agents. When there is no color loss and the letters “NG” and background portion  19  are printed normally, the letters “NG” and background portion  19  are both gray and the “NG” letters cannot be read. If one of the colors is lost, the printed colors change, the letters “NG” become discernable, and color loss can be easily determined.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/829,297 filed Jul. 27, 2007 the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a color loss determination printingmethod that enables easily determining loss of color ink in a colorprinter that prints in color using multiple colors of ink. The inventionalso relates to inventory management print media such as labels having acolor loss determination area that is printed by the color lossdetermination printing method.

In the following specification, the term “ink” will be used forconvenience. However, it is intended that “ink” shall be interpretedherein as a generic term that covers ink, toner, thermal printmaterials, or any other coloring agent that can be used to print incolor. The terms “color ink” and “coloring agent” may be usedinterchangeably herein as generic terms that represent a liquid ormaterial that can be used in color printing.

2. Description of Related Art

When products are distributed to and stored in multiple warehouses, aninventory management label on which are printed the product name and thename of the warehouse where the product will be stored is applied to thesurface of the cardboard box in which the products are packaged. A colorthat is assigned to each warehouse name is also printed in an area ofthe inventory management label that is easy to read so that the personrouting the products to the different warehouses can easily determinewhere to send each box.

If red (R) is assigned to warehouse A, blue (B) to warehouse B, yellow(Y) to warehouse C, and green (G) to warehouse D as shown in FIG. 4A,the inventory management labels that are used for storing roll paper inwarehouse A, for example, are printed with red denoting warehouse A. Inthe sample inventory management label shown in FIG. 4B, the strips 70 atthe top and bottom of the inventory management label are theidentification color printing area where red is printed on the inventorymanagement label.

An inventory management label with an identification color printing areais commonly printed using a color inkjet printer that prints using fourcolors of ink, black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y), forexample. Such inkjet printers print the color assigned to each warehousein the identification color printing area by overlaying different colorsof ink in a known ratio in order to print a desired color.

If, when printing the inventory management labels with an inkjet printerthe identification color printing area is printed without using one ofthe required colors because the supply of that color ran out, forexample, the identification color printing area will be printed with auniform color just as when the identification color printing area isprinted normally but the resulting color will differ from the color thatshould be printed. This is referred to as “color loss.”

As shown in FIG. 4C, when the inventory management label shown in FIG.4B is printed when magenta (M) is lost, the strips 70 of the inventorymanagement label are printed yellow (Y). As shown in FIG. 5, the red (R)that is desired to be printed in the strips 70 is printed normally usingmagenta (M) and yellow (Y) inks (red is the complement of magenta andyellow). However, only yellow (Y) is printed if magenta (M) is lost, andthe resulting label will be printed with yellow (Y) denoting warehouseC. As a result, the worker reading the inventory management labelprinted with color loss may very likely send the boxes containing rollpaper to warehouse C instead of the correct warehouse A. The worker willnot realize that the wrong color has been printed because the label willstill look ok.

The same problem occurs when other colors of ink are lost. Referring toFIG. 5, blue (B) is printed normally using cyan (C) and magenta (M) inks(blue is the complement of cyan and magenta). Therefore. only magenta(M) ink will be printed if cyan (C) is lost, and the color printed inthe identification color printing area will be magenta (M), which caneasily be mistaken for red (R).

Likewise, green (G) is printed normally using cyan (C) and yellow (Y)inks (green is the complement of cyan and yellow). Therefore, only cyan(C) ink will be printed if yellow (Y) is lost, and the color printed inthe identification color printing area will be cyan (C), which caneasily be mistaken for blue (B).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-H09-66650, for example,teaches a method of confirming whether each color of ink is dischargednormally from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head by printing a testpattern. However, even if a test pattern is printed and it is confirmedthat there is no color loss at the start of printing, this method cannotdetermine if color loss suddenly occurs while printing is in progress.

It is also conceivable to limit the colors printed in the identificationcolor printing area to the four primary ink colors. If only the primarycolors are then printed, the base color of the inventory managementlabel will appear in the identification color printing area if one ofthe colors is lost, and color loss can be easily confirmed. This doesnot allow management using more than four colors, however, and istherefore not practical.

It is also conceivable to print a color sample 75 having four printingareas each printed with one of the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta(M), and yellow (Y) as shown in FIG. 6 in a prescribed area of themanagement label so that color loss can be determined from this colorsample 75. Color loss can be confirmed if any one of the four printingareas is not printed in the color sample 75.

However, looking at a color sample 75 having four small printing areasand confirming whether each of the printing areas is correctly printedis bothersome and time-consuming. In addition, the area printed withyellow (Y) ink can be difficult to discern because of the small area,and confirming color loss is not easy. A problem with the color lossdetermination printing method that prints such a color sample 75 is thatit is difficult to readily and accurately evaluate color loss.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A printing method according to the present invention for determiningcolor loss in a color printer enables easy determination of color loss.An inventory management label printing medium according to anotheraspect of the invention enables easy determination of color loss.

A first aspect of the invention is a printing method for determiningcolor loss in a color printer, comprising steps of: using the colorprinter to form a color loss determination section by printing at leastone letter, a graphic, or a symbol in a prescribed printing area on asurface of a print medium using a single coloring agent; and using thecolor printer to print a background portion of the color lossdetermination section in the prescribed printing area by overlaying aplurality of coloring agents that are each individually different incolor from the single coloring agent so that the background portion isthe same color as the at least one letter, graphic, or symbol; andenabling determining that at least one coloring agent used to print thecolor loss determination section did not print if the print color of theat least one letter, graphic, or symbol is different from the printcolor of the background portion.

This aspect of the invention enables determining that at least one colorof ink is missing if the print color of the text, graphic, or symbol inthe color loss determination section differs from the print color of thebackground portion. Because color loss can be determined from the text,graphic, or symbol, color loss can be determined quickly and easily.Determining color loss is also accurate because there is no need toconfirm low visibility printing areas such as printing areas printedwith yellow ink.

In another aspect of the invention the at least one letter, graphic, orsymbol is formed by overlaying and printing coloring agents of aplurality of colors instead of using the single coloring agent; and thebackground portion is formed by printing the single coloring agentinstead of using the coloring agents of a plurality of colors.

Further preferably, if the single coloring agent is black; the color ofthe plural coloring agents include cyan, magenta, and yellow; and theprint color of the at least one letter, graphic, or symbol and the printcolor of background portion are both black, or are both gray and havethe same brightness level.

Yet further preferably, the surface color of the print medium is white.

If the single color ink used to form the color loss determinationsection is dropped in this case, the at least one letter, graphic, orsymbol will appear white and can be easily visually separated from thebackground portion.

In the printing method for determining color loss in a color printeraccording to another aspect of the invention, the prescribed printingarea includes at least a first printing area and a second printing area;the first printing area is printed using a first group of coloringagents; the second printing area is printed using a second group ofcoloring agents; and at least one coloring agent included in the secondgroup of coloring agents is different from the coloring agents includedin the first group of coloring agents.

If a color ink for which color loss cannot be determined from the colorloss determination section formed in the first printing area is used,loss of that color ink can be determined from the print results of thecolor loss determination section formed in the other printing area.

An inkjet printer can be used as the color printer to which theinvention is applied. Inkjet printers have a separate ink tank and inknozzle group for each color ink that is used, and if a particular coloris lost because of clogged ink nozzles or a problem with the ink tankinstallation, the method of the invention enables taking appropriateremedial action.

Another aspect of the invention is a management print medium having thecolor loss determination section formed by the printing method accordingto the present invention for determining color loss in a color printer,and an identification color printing area that is printed using at leastone of the coloring agents used to print the color loss determinationsection.

The management print medium according to the invention has a color lossdetermination area that enables determining if one of the color inksused to print an identification color printing area has been dropped. Aperson looking at the management print medium can therefore know if thecolor printed in the identification color printing area is the correctcolor printed with no color loss. Appropriate action can therefore betaken even if the identification color printing area is printed with amissing color.

Preferably, the management print medium also has a text printing areawhere management text information corresponding to the color printed inthe identification color printing area is printed. If the identificationcolor printing area is printed while missing one of the component colorsdue to color loss, this aspect of the invention enables one to read themanagement information identified by the color code from the textualmanagement information so that appropriate action can be taken.

When the print color of the text, graphic, or symbol in the color lossdetermination section differs from the print color of the backgroundportion and the difference is visually obvious, the printing method fordetermining color loss in a color printer according to the inventionenables determining that at least one of the color inks is missing.Color loss can also be determined quickly and easily because color losscan be determined from the text, graphic, or symbol. Determining colorloss is also accurate because there is no need to confirm low visibilityprinting areas such as areas printed with yellow ink.

The management print medium according to the invention has a color lossdetermination area that enables determining if a color ink used to printan identification color printing area is missing. A person that sees themanagement print medium can thus know if the print color in theidentification color printing area is the correct color.

Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding ofthe invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to thefollowing description and claims taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an inventory management label printingsystem according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the arrangement of the label side of an inventorymanagement label printed using the invention.

FIG. 3 is used to describe the arrangement of the color lossdetermination area.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are used to describe an inventory management labelaccording to the related art.

FIG. 5 is used to describe the colors resulting from printing with oneor more source colors missing.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a print sample according to the related art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below withreference to the accompanying figures.

In the following detailed description, the term “ink” will be used forconvenience. However, it is intended that “ink” shall be interpretedherein as a generic term that covers ink, toner, thermal printmaterials, or any other coloring agent that can be used to print incolor. The terms “color ink” and “coloring agent” may be usedinterchangeably herein as generic terms that represent a liquid ormaterial that can be used in color printing.

Inventory Management Label Printing System

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an inventory management label printingsystem for printing inventory management labels using the method of theinvention. This inventory management label printing system 1 includes adata management server 2, a computer 4 connected to the data managementserver 2 by a network 3, and an inkjet printer 5 connected to thecomputer 4 by a cable 6.

The inkjet printer 5 is a color printer enabling full-color printingusing four colors of ink, specifically black, cyan, magenta, and yellowin this embodiment of the invention.

The computer 4 accesses the data management server 2 to generate theprint data to be printed on the inventory management labels 10, andcontrols driving of the inkjet printer 5 to print the print data on thelabel side 10 a of each inventory management label 10.

The data management server 2 stores a product database 21 and a storagelocation database 22. The product database 21 contains information aboutthe inventoried products such as the product name, total product count,product storage period, and product inventory manager. The storagelocation database 22 stores information about where the products arestored, such as the warehouse name, the name of the identification color(inventory control color) assigned to each warehouse, and warehousespace availability information.

The computer 4 has a print data generator 41 and a data printingcontroller 42. The print data generator 41 accesses the data managementserver 2 to generate the print data. The data printing controller 42controls driving of the inkjet printer 5 to print the print data. Theprint data generator 41 also includes a print data generator for colorloss determination 43 for generating the print data producing a colorloss determination area 15 that enables visual confirmation that colorloss occurred when printing an inventory management label 10 printed bythe inkjet printer 5.

The inventory management labels 10 are affixed at a regular interval onthe surface of a long coated web 10 c backer so that the inventorymanagement labels 10 can be easily peeled from the web 10 c. Afterprinting, the inventory management labels 10 are peeled from the web 10c and applied to a side of the cardboard box in which the product ispacked. The individual boxes containing the product are then distributedto and stored in a plurality of warehouses based on the printed contenton the label side 10 a of the inventory management labels 10.

The print data generator 41 retrieves the necessary information from theproduct database 21 and the storage location database 22 to generate theprint data. The resulting print data includes the name of the packagedproduct, the packaged quantity, how long the product is kept in thewarehouse, the inventory manager in charge of the product, the name ofthe warehouse where the product is stored, a barcode for getting thisinformation, and the name of the inventory control color assigned to thewarehouse where the product is stored.

The data printing controller 42 prints the product name, quantity,storage period, manager's name, and warehouse name in a text printingarea 13 on the label side 10 a. The data printing controller 42 alsoprints a barcode 14 below the text printing area 13, and prints thecolor corresponding to the color name in the identification colorprinting area 11.

The print data generator for color loss determination 43 forms, byprinting, a color loss determination section 18 in a rectangularprinting area on the label. See FIG. 2B, for example. The color lossdetermination section 18 contains, for example, the letters “NG” 16 inblack ink (to form a shade of gray) and a contour portion 17 around therectangular printing area. A background portion 19 is printed behind theletters “NG” 16 by overlaying the three colors cyan, magenta, andyellow. The letters “NG” 16 and the background portion 19 are printedusing the same gray color so that they are not visually discernible.This is shown in FIG. 2A as the entire color loss determination arebeing printed in one shade of gray. Each time the data printingcontroller 42 prints the print data, the print data generator for colorloss determination 43 also forms the color loss determination area 15 onthe label side 10 a.

Inventory Management Labels

FIG. 2 shows examples of the label side 10 a of inventory labels 10printed by the inventory management label printing system 1. FIG. 2Ashows a label printed when there is no color loss, and FIG. 2B shows alabel printed with cyan color loss.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the label side 10 a of the inventory managementlabel 10 is rectangular with a white base.

The inventory control color assigned to each warehouse is printed as astripe in a identification color printing area 11 at the top and bottomedges of the label side 10 a so that workers can easily determine thedestination warehouse of a carton.

The text printing area 13, where textual inventory managementinformation including the product name and warehouse name is printed, islocated in the middle part of the label side 10 a.

A barcode 14 printing area and the color loss determination area 15 fordetermining if there was any color loss while printing the inventorymanagement label 10 are located between the text printing area 13 andthe lower identification color printing area 11.

The name of the packaged product, the packaged quantity, how long theproduct is kept in the warehouse, the inventory manager in charge of theproduct, and the name of the warehouse where the product is stored areprinted in the text printing area 13. The barcode 14 is for identifyingthis information.

The color loss determination area 15 is a rectangular printing areaincluding the color loss determination section 18. The color lossdetermination section 18 contains, for example, the letters “NG” printedusing black ink, and the background portion 19 is the background to theletters “NG.” The background portion 19 is printed in the same shade ofgray as the letters “NG” by overlaying three colors of ink: cyan,magenta, and yellow. The letters “NG” are exemplary. A single letter, agraphic, a symbol, or any type of indicia could be used as long as it isvisually discernable from the background portion 19.

On a inventory management label 10 printed with no color loss theinventory control color assigned to the destination warehouse is printedin the identification color printing area 11. Using the table in FIG.4A, for example, red is assigned to warehouse A, blue to warehouse B,yellow to warehouse C, and green to warehouse D. In this case a redstripe is printed in the identification color printing area 11 of theinventory management labels 10 that are applied to cardboard boxesstored in warehouse A, and gray is printed in the color lossdetermination area 15 of a inventory management label 10 that is printedwith no color loss.

On an inventory management label 10A that is printed when cyan ink islost as shown in FIG. 2B, however, the color printed in theidentification color printing area 11 is yellow, that is, the inventorycontrol color assigned to warehouse C, instead of the red that isassigned as the inventory control color to warehouse A. This is becausethere is no cyan ink and therefore only yellow is printed. This alsocauses the color of the background portion 19 printed in the color lossdetermination area 15 to print in green, and causes the letters “NG” 16,which are printed in gray and indicate that one of the printing colorsis lost, to stand out from the background portion 19 so that they areeasily recognized.

The person printing the labels and the person distributing the cartonscan thus readily know when looking at this inventory management label10A that the inventory management label 10A was printed without thecorrect colors because the letters “NG” 16 can be easily seen and readon the label side 10 a.

Furthermore, when the worker sees that the inventory management label10A was printed with the wrong color, the worker can ignore the printedcolor and send the carton of roll paper in this example to the correctwarehouse A based on the warehouse name printed in text in the textprinting area 13 so that the product is not stored in the wrong place.

Color Loss Determination Area

The color loss determination area 15 printed on the label side 10 a isdescribed in detail next with reference to FIG. 3. As described above,the color loss determination area 15 in this embodiment of the inventionincludes the color loss determination section 18 composed of the letters“NG” 16 and the rectangular window frame contour portion 17, and thebackground portion 19 that includes all of the color loss determinationsection 18 except for the letters “NG” 16.

The color loss determination section 18 is printed using black ink, andthe letters “NG” 16 and the rectangular contour portion 17 are printedby dithering the printed color so that both are the same shade of gray.The background portion 19 is printed by dithering the three colors ofink, cyan, magenta, and yellow, so that the background portion 19 isalso the same shade of gray. The gray printed for the letters “NG” 16and the gray printed in the background portion 19 are controlled toachieve the same brightness level. As a result, the entire color lossdetermination area 15 appears as a solid block of gray when there is nocolor loss, and the letters “NG” 16 in the color loss determinationsection 18 are visually indiscernible in the printed output 80 of thiscolor loss determination area 15. In FIG. 3, sections 16, 17 and 19 areshown as being visually discernable in block 80 for the purposes ofdescription, but when printed on label 10, area 15 (including 16, 17,and 19) appear as a solid gray block in printed output 80 when there isno color loss.

If black is lost, the letters “NG” 16 will not be printed, and the basewhite of the label side 10 a will be left in the printed output 81. Thiscauses the letters “NG” 16 to appear in the gray background portion 19as white letters. The letters “NG” 16 can thus be visually discerned andthe inventory management label 10 can be recognized as having beenprinted with color loss.

When cyan is lost the printed output 82 contains the letters “NG” 16printed in gray but the background portion 19 is printed in red insteadof gray, and the letters “NG” 16 can thus be recognized from thebackground. This is because the background portion 19 which should beprinted using cyan, magenta, and yellow to produce gray looks red as aresult of mixing only magenta and yellow, due to the loss of cyan.

When magenta is lost the printed output 83 contains the letters “NG” 16printed in gray but the background portion 19 is printed in greeninstead of gray, and the letters “NG” 16 can thus be recognized from thebackground. This is because the background portion 19 which should beprinted using cyan, magenta, and yellow to produce gray looks green as aresult of mixing only cyan and yellow, due to the loss of magenta.

When yellow is lost the printed output 83 contains the letters “NG” 16printed in gray but the background portion 19 is printed in blue insteadof gray, and the letters “NG” 16 can thus be recognized from thebackground. This is because the background portion 19 which should beprinted using cyan, magenta, and yellow to produce gray looks blue as aresult of mixing only cyan and magenta, due to the loss of yellow.

As described above, when at least any one of the black, cyan, magenta,and yellow color inks that are used to print inventory management labelsis missing, the letters “NG” 16 meaning “No Good” appear in an easilyreadable manner in the color loss determination area 15 of an inventorymanagement label 10 printed by the inventory management label printingsystem 1 according to this embodiment of the invention. Both the labelmaker and the workers handling the boxes can thus immediately know whenlooking at a inventory management label 10 if the inventory managementlabel 10 was printed without the correct colors, and steps to correctthe color loss or direct the box to the correct warehouse can be takenquickly and easily.

Furthermore, by printing the color loss determination section 18 usingthe two simple letters “NG” 16 containing few picture elements, theletters stand out from the background portion 19 and can be easily readwhen color loss occurs even if the printing area in which the color lossdetermination section 18 and background portion 19 are formed is small.

Yet further, because a text printing area 13 is also included on thelabel side 10 a of the inventory management label 10, products can beaccurately distributed and stored in the correct warehouse based on thetextual inventory management information printed in the text printingarea 13 even if the inventory management label 10 is printed with thewrong color due to color loss.

Furthermore, in previous solutions for determining color loss when acolor sample is printed to determine if all colors of ink are beingused, the printing condition of all four colors of ink 51 to 54 must beconfirmed. This is bothersome and it can also be difficult to determineif a low visibility ink such as yellow is being used normally. Thepresent invention enables evaluating color loss by simply looking forthe letters “NG” 16 to appear in the color loss determination area 15,and color loss determination is thus quick and easy.

Other Embodiments

The foregoing embodiment uses black ink for the letters “NG” 16 and thethree ink colors cyan, magenta, and yellow to print the backgroundportion 19. This ink usage can be reversed, however, so that the letters“NG” 16 are printed using the three ink colors cyan, magenta, andyellow, and the background portion 19 is printed using black ink. Thenormal print color of the letters “NG” 16 and the background portion 19when there is no color loss can also be black instead of gray.

The colors of ink used to print the letters “NG” 16 and the backgroundportion 19 are also not limited to the four colors black, cyan, magenta,and yellow, and the color loss determination area 15 is also not limitedto one area.

For example, the inventory management label 10 could be printed usinglight cyan and light magenta in addition to the four colors of black,cyan, magenta, and yellow. In this case a first color loss determinationarea can be printed similarly to the color loss determination area 15described above, and a second color loss determination area can beprinted as described below.

In the second color loss determination area black ink is used to formthe letters “NG” that are printed gray, and the background portion canbe printed gray using the three colors light cyan, light magenta, andyellow. If at least one of these six colors of ink is lost, the letters“NG” 16 will appear in at least one of the first and second color lossdetermination areas, and it can be easily determined that a color ismissing.

More specifically, any combination of plural color inks that can producethe print color of the letters “NG” 16 using a single color of ink, andcan produce the same print color in the background portion 19 using acombination of plural colors of ink that are different from the singlecolor of ink producing the letters “NG” 16, can be used to form thecolor loss determination area 15.

An inkjet printer 5 is used by way of example as the color printer inthe foregoing embodiments, but the invention can also be used to printlabels using other types of color printers. The invention can also beused with laser printers and thermal printers, for example.

Furthermore, the letters “NG” 16 are used in the color lossdetermination section 18 in the embodiments described above, but anyletter or letters, symbol or graphic element that enables determining ata glance if printing was completed correctly can be used.

Adhesive labels having an adhesive layer on the reverse side are used byway of example as a management print medium above, but other types ofprint media including baggage tags and other types of tags, and bands ofvarious types can be used. For example, the wristbands that are printedand wrapped around the wrist of patients entering the hospital oftencontain color-coded blood type and allergy information. The inventioncan be used to print the color loss determination area 15 on suchwristbands as a way of preventing medical errors.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications willbe apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modificationsare to be understood as included within the scope of the presentinvention as defined by the appended claims, unless they departtherefrom.

1. A printing data generating method for determining color loss for acolor printer, comprising steps of: generating first printing data forforming a color loss determination section by printing at least oneletter, a graphic, or a symbol in a prescribed printing area on asurface of a print medium using a single coloring agent; generatingsecond printing data for printing a background portion of the color lossdetermination section in the prescribed printing area by overlaying aplurality of coloring agents that are each individually different incolor from the single coloring agent so that the background portion isthe same color as the at least one letter, graphic, or symbol;controlling driving of the color printer to print the first printingdata and the second printing data; and determining that at least onecoloring agent used to print the color loss determination section didnot print if the print color of the at least one letter, graphic, orsymbol is different from the print color of the background portion. 2.The printing data generating method for determining color loss for acolor printer described in claim 1, wherein: the at least one letter,graphic, or symbol is formed by overlaying and printing coloring agentsof a plurality of colors instead of using the single coloring agent; andthe background portion is formed by printing the single coloring agentinstead of using the coloring agents of a plurality of colors.
 3. Theprinting data generating method for determining color loss for a colorprinter described in claim 1, wherein: the single coloring agent isblack; the color of the plural coloring agents includes cyan, magenta,and yellow; and the print color of the at least one letter, graphic, orsymbol and the print color of background portion are both black, or areboth gray and have the same brightness level.
 4. The printing datagenerating method for determining color loss for a color printerdescribed in claim 1, wherein: the print medium has a white surface. 5.The printing data generating method for determining color loss for acolor printer described in claim 1, wherein: the prescribed printingarea includes at least a first printing area and a second printing area;the first printing area is printed using a first group of coloringagents; the second printing area is printed using a second group ofcoloring agents; and at least one coloring agent included in the secondgroup of coloring agents is different from the coloring agents includedin the first group of coloring agents.
 6. The printing data generatingmethod for determining color loss for a color printer described in claim1, wherein: an inkjet printer is used as the color printer to form thecolor loss determination section.
 7. A printing data generator fordetermining color loss for a color printer, comprising: a first printingdata generator that generates first printing data for forming a colorloss determination section by printing at least one letter, a graphic,or a symbol in a prescribed printing area on a surface of a print mediumusing a single coloring agent; a second printing data generator thatgenerates second printing data for printing a background portion of thecolor loss determination section in the prescribed printing area byoverlaying a plurality of coloring agents that are each individuallydifferent in color from the single coloring agent so that the backgroundportion is the same color as the at least one letter, graphic, orsymbol; and a controller that drives the color printer to print thefirst printing data and the second printing data; thereby enablingdetermining that at least one coloring agent used to print the colorloss determination section did not print if the print color of the atleast one letter, graphic, or symbol is different from the print colorof the background portion.
 8. The printing data generator fordetermining color loss for a color printer described in claim 7,wherein: the at least one letter, graphic, or symbol is formed byoverlaying and printing coloring agents of a plurality of colors insteadof using the single coloring agent; and the background portion is formedby printing the single coloring agent instead of using the coloringagents of a plurality of colors.
 9. The printing data generator fordetermining color loss for a color printer described in claim 7,wherein: the single coloring agent is black; the color of the pluralcoloring agents includes cyan, magenta, and yellow; and the print colorof the at least one letter, graphic, or symbol and the print color ofbackground portion are both black, or are both gray and have the samebrightness level.
 10. The printing data generator for determining colorloss for a color printer described in claim 7, wherein: the print mediumhas a white surface.
 11. The printing data generator for determiningcolor loss for a color printer described in claim 7, wherein: theprescribed printing area includes at least a first printing area and asecond printing area; the first printing area is printed using a firstgroup of coloring agents; the second printing area is printed using asecond group of coloring agents; and at least one coloring agentincluded in the second group of coloring agents is different from thecoloring agents included in the first group of coloring agents.
 12. Theprinting data generator for determining color loss for a color printerdescribed in claim 7, wherein: an inkjet printer is used as the colorprinter to form the color loss determination section.